FAQ: clutch pushrod order info

[BevHevSteve]

FYI order of parts in clutch actuator assembly for 900cc BOSCH IGNITION bevel twins [DARMAH etc] and Ducati Electronica ignition models [900SS]. I am not sure about 860 - but I'd almost put money on it being the same as well.

Look at items 44, 45, 49, 50 & 51.

Item 51 is rounded on one end which goes into the actuator arm [item1]

Items 18 & 19 are the threaded adjuster & locknut in the center of the clutch basket which you see after removing the clutch inspection cover on the left side of the motor.

IMPORTANT > it is necessary to remove the covers, remove 18 & 19 and push all the rods and balls etc out from the left side to the right side, or said in other words, from the clutch basket out the engine sprocket side. If you do the opposite you will lose the small items in the clutch basket then you must remove the cover, disassemble the clutch basket and retrieve the items.

Item#45 [roller] qty 2 - 5/16" x 5/16"
Item#49 [roller] qty 2 - 6mm x 6mm
Item#50 [ball] qty 1 - 5/16"

Can someone measure items 44 and 51 and email them to me to include here?

For a happy clutch, it is important to remove all these items, clean and smooth with a scotchbrite, grease and reinstall. The adjustment should leave about 1+mm between the actuator arm and the sprocket cover when set up right. The clutch cable should be routed with large arcs so it won;t bind and 3-4mm freeplay at the hand lever.

[tim61]

Part # 51 is 6mm X 113.5mm
15/64 Stainless drill rod is the same diameter. A little trial and error, and I will be able to post the size of #51 ( I lost mine!!!)
Tim O'Mahony
1978 900SD Darmah

[tim61]

OK, with a little help from the Bevelheads, and some trial and error, I figured out the missing measurements.

#51- 8mm x 27.5mm, rounded on one end
#45- 8mm x 8mm, slightly rounded on both ends
#50- 8mm Ball

These three items may be substituted with 5/16" SAE parts. I found that a 5/16" x 1" stainless pin available at the hardware store worked perfect for #51, after I rounded one end in the lathe. 5/16" x 1/2" pins were cut down to replace #45.

#44- 6mm x 113.5mm, slightly rounded on both ends
#49- 6mm x 6mm, slightly rounded on both ends

For these parts I used 15/64 stainless drill rod to replace.

All in all, I replaced everything except the screw adjuster on the clutch hat. Everything seems to work perfect, and I spent less than $10! Cool!

Tim O'Mahony
1978 900SD Darmah

[BevHevSteve]

Aside from the proper order, I forgot to mention that each rod has 1 flat surface end and one rounded surface end. It is important also then, how they stack up.

Rule: All rounded ends MUST ride against a flat end

Rule: All flat ends MUST ride against a rounded end

Since you have 1 round ball in the mix, let that be you starting point. Get all the pieces lined up on your work bench in the right order. Now look at the rod touching the ball, make sure it's FLAT end is against the ball. The other end will be rounded. Make sure the next rod has it's flat end up against the first one etc etc

When you button everything up, after cleaning and greasing etc, adjust the clutch adjuster [item 18] so that the actuator arm [item 1] has 2mm clearance between itself and the right side engine case cover [item 53].

[co311a]

hi,on the subject of push rods i looked at the previous posts and was in the garage with clutch cover off so thought i would pull them out to clean and lube, on pulling out and cleaning then looking to the parts manual on a 750 sport/gt, the rods which are in my bike are not the same as in the manual.
The first 3 rods from the lever arm side are larger in diameter than the others,and also there is no single ball bearing.
Does this make any difference ? why does it have all the smaller sections of rod and the ball bearing?
also the small sections of rod have flat ends at both ends so do the longer lengths any ideas?

[BevHevSteve]

most likely someone has lost or ruined the original stuff and made up their own. I suggest you go back to original bits for best performance. You will notice that the hole is not really straight and was cast into the case halves. I have not seen too many of them lining up very well. Anyways, there is heaps of pressure on all the bits, no internal lubrication from the engine, and the mal aligned bore to contend with. I have all the small bits in a kit but not the long rods yet [soon though] posted in the ENGINE RELATED section of my shopping cart

[mike75]

The clutch in my gt750 is extremely finicky when stopped and in gear with the lever pulled in the clutch seems to not engage all the way, the bike seems to want to go with the lever pulled. When I adjust the cable to where it doesn't behave in this manner, it slips when I get on the gas. I seem to remember my dad trying to work with this issue a long time ago and am wondering if assembling the pushrods incorrectly could lead to this issue? any advice is welcome

Upon dissassembly I found the first 5/16 rod section (#45) measured .308" by .276" long the outer side that rides against the next part (#51) was extremely worn from years of use.

[garryc]

Just ordered the kit from BH.
Did I read somewhere the procedure is to remove sprocket cover to allow actuation arm to fold out of the way.
remove clutch inspection cover and use a long wire to poke rods etc out through sprocket cover side.
Instal is reverse of this.
Or did I make this up?
What is the recommended grease.
thanks
garryc

[BevHevSteve]

yes that is outlined in the first topic up top, plus I recommend using MOTUL TECH GREASE for the balls/rods.

[bobnorton]

I have been greasing up mine( GTS) today and they won't go back in!!<i suspect the tunnel has some steps stopping the rods ,do you still need measurements??.

[bobnorton]

I appear to have an odd arrangement of bits. According to the parts list , my motor no 851769 should have 113.5 rods with one roller between ,one roller at clutch end and two rollers and ball at the lever side. What i have is the earlier arrangement with 110 rods with two small rollers between and a small ball at the clutch side and the two large rollers and ball at the lever side. Any idea why they changed the set up? and will the small ball at the adjuster be a problem or should it be in the middle (swap with a small roller)? or discard for another roller?, I just love these puzzles!!.

[Craig in France]

I suspect the tunnel has some steps stopping the rods ...

Correct, Roberto. As Steve mentioned above, the passage wasn't lined bored at assembly - money, time, no strict engineering need - so you can find a slight mismatch = step at the crank case joint. It's one of the reasons the clutch push rod is made up of all these pesky pieces ...

Ciao

Craig

[bobnorton]

Hi Craig, After 6 attemps to refit the selector box (and lots of swearing) i wonder if it would be better to rip out, the neutral indicator crap and the crossover linkage and revert back to Taglioni's orriginal design! ,all this crapp was surely designed by a commitee of clowns. Or perhaps i'm the clown?.I've had to leave it ,dark thoughts about sledge hammers.-------Later--- Got it sussed, have to somehow add another 3 or 4 mm to the total length, the adjuster in the clutch is on its last few threads so no help there. Add another 6 mm roller between the rods and put the ball between them.

[Craig in France]

Got it sussed, have to somehow add another 3 or 4 mm to the total length .. <snip>

Good man, Bob. I know you're gonna get to love this bike ... whatever it takes!

(I stand to be corrected, but ... ) I don't believe there's anything too special about the rods, btw. A suitable length of high carbon, high-speed or stainless should do the job - have you got a worn out drill bit of suitable diameter you can sacrifice? I'd avoid a regular mild steel 'cos it will wear down over time; but even that would get you going ...

[bobnorton]

I've decided to clean up the ends of rods and rollers ,which will also make a bit more room, and allow an extra ball, the big problem is in refittig the cover when you have to get all the bits to engage and the small rod won't stay put . I am fitting an extended lever which makes a huge difference .Need to find a source for rollers . I notice there is little clearance in the case for the chain/sprocket and the case has deep tramlines.The 6mm rollers are an odd feature, they are loose in the bore and it seems unlikely that they would stay in line,has anyone tried bigger( say 1/4") rollers in this position?.